(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a poly(arylene ether) copolymer having a cation-exchange group, a method of manufacturing the same, and methods of use thereof.
(b) Description of the Related Art
An ion exchange resin generally comprises an ion exchange functional group on a polymer. It may have fine pores under moisture condition, and ion exchange occurs when ions are diffused in the space of the fine pores. Ion exchange resins are broadly classified into a cation exchange resin, an anion exchange resin, and a mixed resin and the like, depending on the type of ion exchange functional group to be introduced. Such ion exchange resins have been used for various purposes such as recovering of organic metal, air purification, catalysts, water treatment, medical fields and separation of proteins.
One example of a commercially available cation exchange resin is a styrene-based resin wherein an ion exchange group is introduced in the resin having a three dimensional network structure manufactured using divinylbenzene as a crosslinking agent on styrene. Although such a resin is generally chemically stable to strong acids and bases and allows ion exchange in the entire pH range, it may decompose, resulting in reduced exchange capacity, density, and moisture adsorption capacity if heated to temperatures of 150° C. or more. Further, if the resin is heated at 186° C. for 24 hours, it may not be used because the exchange capacity may be reduced by 15 to 40%.
In addition, most currently available ion exchange resins have limited ion exchange capacity, and processability is reduced because most resins are crosslinked. Thus, there is a need for a novel ion exchange resin that addresses these disadvantages.